The Dorothy and Sundar Shadi
History Room

The Dorothy and Sundar Shadi History Room contains the archives of the El Cerrito Historical Society. In the Shadi Room, the Society maintains a broad collection of printed and electronic information as well as historical artifacts relevant to the history of El Cerrito and the surrounding area.

In addition to containing the Society’s collected materials on El Cerrito and the adjacent communities, the Shadi Room is the primary repository of historical information on the following subjects:

  • The Chung Mei Home and its successor institutions: Western Baptist Bible College, Armstrong Preparatory School, Windrush School and Summit K2 school. Materials include diagrams, blueprints, documents and photos of these institutions, including unique images of the early days of the Chung Mei Home in El Cerrito and very rare images of the Chung Mei Home and residents when the home was still located in Berkeley.

  • The family and adobe of Victor Ramon Castro and the settlement of Rancho San Pablo. The society’s collection includes a large number of photos of Victor Castro’s adobe. The society also has a number of documents about the Castro family as well as the unique set of papers and materials collected by Frances and Earl Conley, renowned researchers of Rancho San Pablo.

  • The Japanese Nursery community in west Contra Costa County. The historical society has an extensive collection of photographs as well as documents that chronicle the history of the Japanese community and nurseries in west Contra Costa County as well as in the Bay Area.

  • The society also has an excellent collection of materials on the Technical Porcelain and Chinaware Company (TEPCO) and a very good collection of El Cerrito High and Portola yearbooks. We have a wide variety of local history books in the Shadi Room, Great Registers and local newspapers covering a wide range of years. The society also maintains a number of significant reference documents (both in printed and digital format) about the earliest days of the Spanish settlement of California.

The Shadi History Room is located on the second floor of the El Cerrito City Hall, 10890 San Pablo Ave. (at the corner of Manila Avenue) and is open to the public from 3:30 - 5 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month, or by appointment. The phone number is 510-215-4313. Contact the historical society by email at echistorical@gmail.com.

Read the rules and policies for using the Shadi History Room.

ABOUT DOROTHY AND SUNDAR SHADI:

Dorothy and Sundar Shadi were active members of our community and best known for the beautiful and expansive Christmas display next to their hillside home. Consisting of paper mache figures and wooden structures, the scene depicted Bethlehem at the time of Christ’s birth. Sundar began building the scene in 1951, adding to it over years until it became a regional event, drawing thousands of visitors each year.

A native of India, Mr. Shadi came to the U.S. as a student and earned his master’s degree in subtropical horticulture from the University of California, Berkeley. Mrs. Shadi was an associate professor at UC Berkeley. They built their home in El Cerrito in 1936 and raised their daughters there.

Although Mr. Shadi died in 2002 at age 102, his Christmas spectacle lives on through the work of community volunteers.